Billet-making machine.



, Patented May 2|,'|90|. w. B. HUGHES.

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No. 674,769. Patented May`2l, |9ol.

w. HUGHES.

BILLET MAKING MACHINE.

(Appl'ication tiled Dec. 5, 1900.!

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

@,(fj El. WwW/f @I I n hun Am No. 674,769. 'Patented may 21,1901.

` B. HUGHES.

BILLET MAKING MACHINE.

{Application led Dec. 5, 1900.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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IITTED STATES PATENT EEICE.

WILLIAM B. HUGHES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BILLET-'MAKING MACHINE.

SPEGlFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 674,769, dated May 21, 1901. Application tiled December 5, 1900. Serial No. 38,835.4 (No model.)

To nr/ZZ when@ zit petty concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. HUGHES, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Billet-Making Machines, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to quickly and economically convert a metal ingot into a number of compressed billets, a further object being to provide mechanism whereby successive billet-blanks can be sheared from the ingot. These objects I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of a billetmaking machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a view of the same, partly in transverse section and partly in elevation. Fig. 3 is a plan View, partly in section. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of part of the machine. Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views illustrating the operation of the machine, and Figs. 7 and S are similar views illustrating a modification of the invention.

In making billets from steel ingots it is the customary practice to irst roll the ingot in a special blooming-mill and then to cut the rolled product into pieces of the proper size for the billets, although in some cases the metal is poured into ingot-m olds of small size, each producing an ingot of the proper size for a billet. Both of these plans are expensive,

the rst because of the special rolling-mill required and the labor necessary to reduce the ingot to billet form, while the second plan requires the use of a great number of small molds and corresponding expenditure of time and labor in filling, handling, and discharging the same. These objections I overcome by casting the ingot in a large mold in the usual Way and as soon as said ingot has become sufficiently cooled to cause it to retain its form cutting the same into billet-blanks and simultaneously compressing these blanks to form the billets, an operation which can be readily performed, owing to the plastic condition of the metal, and which results in the production of properly-shaped billets of homogeneous metal, piping being prevented by reason of the pressure to which the plastic or semifluid mass has been subjected.

The machine for making billets in accordance with my invention consists of a substantial framework l, having at one end a heavy thrust-block 2 and at the other end a cylinder 3, with plunger i, the latter having a head 5 with right-angled die-block 6, adapt-ed to cooperate with a reverse right-angled dieblock 7, secured to the thrust-block 2, as shown in Fig. 1. Hence when the plunger 4 is projected by means of hydraulic or other pressure admitted to the cylinder 3 the dies 6 and 7 will inclose a space of the cross-sectional dimensions of the desired billet.

Upon the framework 1 are rails for the wheels of a truck 8, which is adapted for the support of an ingot-mold 9 and has suitable ways for the guidance of a slide-block 10, whereby the bottom of said ingot-mold may be closed or opened. Movement 0f the slideblock 10 may be effected in any desired Way, the means shown in the present instance for accomplishing this result comprising a powercylinder 11, mounted on the main frame of the machine and having a piston-rod 12,With cross-head connected by links 13 to bell-crank levers 14:, mounted in bearings on the block 2, a link 15 and detachable pin 1b' serving to connect each lever to projecting ears 17 on the sliding block 10 when the ingot-mold truck has been moved into proper position on the frame of the machine.

Guide-fianges 18 on the top of the frame l serve to guide downward, close to the face of the block 2, an ingot descending from the mold 9, and arms 19 on a transverse rockshaft 20 on said frame 1 serve to press the lower portion of this ingot into close contact with the face of saidblock 2, the rock-shaft 20 being vibrated, so as to cause the arms 19 to subject the ingot to pressure or relieve it therefrom by means of power-cylinders 2l on the outside of the frame, the piston operated by these power-cylinders engaging with an arm 22 on one end of the rock-shaft 20.

At one side of the frame lis mounted a power-cylinder 23, with piston-rod 24 in line with the opening formed by the die-blocks 6 and 7, and at the other side of' said frame is a IOO lin Fig. 6.

roller-table 25 or other suitable form of power conveyer for carrying the billets away from the machine.

The head 5 of the plunger 4.is connected by rods 26 to a cross-head 27, which is connected to the plunger 28 of a supplementary power-cylinder 29 at the back end of the cylinder 3, constant pressure being maintained in this supplementary cylinder, so as to retract the plunger4 and its head 5 when pressure is removed from the cylinder 3, or pressure may be admitted to the cylinder 29 when the cylinder 3is opened to the exhaust, or vice versa.

The bottom of the mold 9 is normally closed by the slide-block l0 and the molten metal is permitted to remain in the mold until sufficiently cooled to cause the ingot to retain its form, whereupon the truck carrying the mold is moved into position overthe machine, the block 10 is coupled to the links 15and the power is admitted to the cylinder 1l, so as to operate the levers 14 and withdraw the block 10 from the bottom of the mold. The plunger in the cylinder 3 being retracted, the ingot falls from the mold 9 down between the guideflanges 18 and onto the die-block 6, as shown in Fig. 5, the arms 19 of the rock-shaft 20 pressing the ingot against the face of the thrust-block 2. The plunger 4 is now projected so that the die-block 6 shears off the `lower end of the ingot and presses this cut-oif portion forwardly against the die 7, thereby compressing the plastic mass of metal between the two dies and imparting to it the form desired for the finished billet, as shown This compression of the plastic mass solidifies the same and renders the billet homogeneous throughout, so that the iinished billet is similar to one produced in the ordinary way from Huid-compressed steel.

As soon as the pressure upon the billet is reon the die 6 and the operations before de` scribed are repeated.

The presser-arms 19 on therock-shaft 2O serve to insure the vertical descent of the ingot and prevent any overturning of the same when it has been reduced in length, so that only a small section remains. Hence the entire length of the ingot is fed to the die 6 and the shearing and compressing operations proceed until the ingot is entirely consumed.

By preference the ingot-mold is of greater lateral dimensions at the center than at the ends," the shape of the ingot being that represented in cross-section in Fig. 3, so that the pressure of the dies 6 and 7 is exerted upon the blank sheared from the ingot, first at the longitudinal center of the same and thence progressively toward each end, whereby the How of metal is from the center outwardly toward each end, the desired solidity of the billet from end to end being thus insured.

If desired, the compression of the billet may precede the shearing of the same from the ingot. Thus in the modification shown in Figs. 7 and 8 the compression of the ingot is effected between the vertical face of a dieblock 6a and the opposing vertical face of a dieblock 7a, as shown in Fig. 7, the compressed portion of the ingot falling onto a projecting portion of the die 6a when the latter is retracted, as shown in Fig. 8, and being sheared from the body "of the ingot on the next forward movement of the plunger 5, at which time the compression of the next succeeding portion of the ingot is also being effected. The compressing-dies may, if desired, be independent of the shearing-dies, although for purposes of economy and compact arrangement it is preferable to use the combined compressing and shearing dies, as shown,and certain features of the invention may also be embodied in a machine intended simply for shearing the billet-blanks from the ingot without compressing them, or, on the other hand, the compressing-dies may be such as to convert the sheared-off section of the ingot into shapes instead of simple billets, thereby dispensing with one or more of the rolling operations now necessary in converting a billet into beams or shapes and the like, the term billet as used in the claims being intended to cover such shapes as well.

The dies and adjacent parts of the machine may be hollow and Water-cooled, if desired, and the relation of the parts of the machine may be changed without materially affecting the operation of the same. For instance, the machine may be turned upon its side, the ingot-mold being supported in a horizontal position, and the billet may be delivered from the machine by gravity, the ejector-cylinder 23 and its piston-rod 24 in this case being so disposed as to force the ingot from the mold and into the machine.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, in a billetforming machine, of shearing-dies, means for feeding an ingot thereto, a presser for holding the ingot in proper alinement while it is being fed to the dies, and Huid-pressure devices for acting on said presser, substantiallyas specitied.

2. The combination, in a billet-forming machine, of shearing-dies, means for feeding an ingot thereto, so as to form successive billets', and a billet-ejector operating transversely to the direction of movement of the dies, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, in a billet-forming machine, of shearing-dies, an ingot-mold car- IOO llo

:rier mounted so as to move the mold into position to feed the ingot to said dies, and a sliding block for closing the delivery end of the mold, substantially as specied.

4:. The combination, in a billetforming machine, of shearing-dies, and an ingot-mold carrier mounted so as' to move the mold into position to feed the ingo't to said dies, said carrier having a sliding block for closing the delivery end of the mold, substantially as Io speeied.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM B. HUGHES.

Witnesses:

F. E. BECHTOLD, Jos. H. KLEIN. 

